About Us

A unique combination of ecology and culture, Tumamoc is an 860-acre ecological preserve in the heart of Tucson. Its innovative, sustained, long-term environmental studies have made it a US National Historical Landmark. A 2500-year-old village sits atop Tumamoc Hill and the rich cultural context of four millennia of human society lie at its feet.

Tumamoc's Desert Laboratory (1903) gave birth to the sciences of physiological ecology and arid land studies. Its permanent study plots include the world's nine oldest (1906). It is the world's first and oldest restoration ecology project (1907). The Desert Lab began by studying the reestablishment of natural conditions within its boundaries. Today, researchers continue to track these changes as well as delve deeper into the functioning, origin, and future of the Sonoran Desert.